Language/Faroese/Grammar/Basic-Prepositions
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Welcome to the lesson on Basic Prepositions in Faroese! Prepositions are essential building blocks of any language, as they help us articulate relationships between different elements in a sentence. In Faroese, just like in English, understanding prepositions will allow you to express time, place, and direction more effectively, enriching your communication skills. Today, we will explore common prepositions and their usage in everyday contexts, setting a strong foundation for your Faroese language journey.
In this lesson, we will cover:
- An overview of basic prepositions in Faroese
- Examples to illustrate their usage
- Practice exercises to solidify your understanding
Overview of Basic Prepositions
Prepositions in Faroese can indicate relationships of time, place, and direction. Here are some of the most commonly used prepositions:
- í (in)
- á (on)
- við (with)
- uttan (without)
- fyrir (for)
- frá (from)
- til (to)
Let’s dive deeper into these prepositions and see how they function within sentences.
Common Prepositions and Their Usage
Preposition: í (in)
The preposition í is used to indicate being inside something.
Here are examples of its usage:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg eri í húsinum | eɪ ɡ ˈɛrɪ i ˈhuːsɪnʊm | I am in the house |
| børnini eru í skúlunum | ˈbœrnɪnɪ ˈɛrʊ i ˈskuːlʊnʊm | The children are in the schools |
| bókin er í taskuni | ˈboʊkɪn ɛr i ˈtɑːsʊnɪ | The book is in the bag |
| tey eru í bátinum | teɪ ˈɛrʊ i ˈbɔːtɪnʊm | They are in the boat |
Preposition: á (on)
The preposition á indicates a position on a surface.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| bókin liggur á borðinum | ˈboʊkɪn ˈlɪʁʊr ɔ ˈbɔːrðɪnʊm | The book is on the table |
| eg sitji á stólinum | eɪ ɡ ˈsɪtʲɪ ɔ ˈstoʊlɪnʊm | I am sitting on the chair |
| hundurin er á gøtuni | ˈhʊndʊrɪn ɛr ɔ ˈɡøːtʊnɪ | The dog is on the street |
| myndin er á vegginum | ˈmʏndɪn ɛr ɔ ˈvɛɡɪnʊm | The picture is on the wall |
Preposition: við (with)
The preposition við is used to express companionship or association.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg eri við vinum mínum | eɪ ɡ ˈɛrɪ vɪð ˈvɪnʊm ˈmiːnʊm | I am with my friends |
| tey koma við foreldrum sínum | teɪ ˈkɔːmɐ vɪð ˈfɔːrɛldʊm ˈsiːnʊm | They come with their parents |
| eg arbeiði við einum stóri | eɪ ˈɑːrbɛɪ̯ vɪð ˈeɪnʊm ˈstoːrɪ | I work with a big company |
| tú kanst fara við mær | tuː ˈkɑːnst ˈfɑːrɐ vɪð ˈmɛːr | You can go with me |
Preposition: uttan (without)
The preposition uttan indicates the absence of something.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg vil ikki fara uttan teg | eɪ ɡ vɪl ˈɪkɪ ˈfɑːrɐ ˈʊtˌtæn teɪ | I don’t want to go without you |
| tey kunnu ikki vera uttan mat | teɪ ˈkʊnʊ ˈɪkɪ ˈvɛrɐ ˈʊtˌtæn mɑːt | They cannot be without food |
| tú mást arbeiða uttan hjálp | tuː mɑːst ˈɑːrbɛɪ̯vɐ ˈʊtˌtæn ˈjɑːlp | You must work without help |
| vit kunnu ikki ferðast uttan pengar | vɪt ˈkʊnʊ ˈɪkɪ ˈfɛrðast ˈʊtˌtæn ˈpeŋɐr | We cannot travel without money |
Preposition: fyri (for)
The preposition fyrir is used to indicate purpose or direction.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg keypti blóm fyri teg | eɪ ɡ ˈkeɪptɪ ˈblom ˈfɪrɪ teɪ | I bought flowers for you |
| tey arbeiða fyri einum góðum máli | teɪ ˈɑːrbɛɪ̯vɐ ˈfɪrɪ ˈeɪnʊm ˈɡoːðʊm ˈmɑːlɪ | They work for a good cause |
| tú mást gera hetta fyri okkum | tuː mɑːst ˈɡɛrɐ ˈhɛtːə ˈfɪrɪ ˈoʊkʊm | You must do this for us |
| vit skriva brøv fyri børnini | vɪt ˈskriːvɐ ˈbrøːv ˈfɪrɪ ˈbœrnɪnɪ | We write letters for the children |
Preposition: frá (from)
The preposition frá indicates the origin or starting point.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg kem frá Føroyum | eɪ ɡ ˈkɛm frɑː ˈføːrʊm | I come from the Faroe Islands |
| tú fært hetta frá mær | tuː fɛrt ˈhɛtːa frɑː mɛːr | You get this from me |
| tey koma frá Danmark | teɪ ˈkɔːmɐ frɑː ˈdɑnˌmark | They come from Denmark |
| vit keyptu hesa frá einum handlar | vɪt ˈkeɪptʊ ˈhɛsə frɑː ˈeɪnʊm ˈhɑndlɪr | We bought this from a merchant |
Preposition: til (to)
The preposition til is often used to indicate direction or destination.
Here are some examples:
| Faroese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eg fari til skúlans | eɪ ɡ ˈfɑːrɪ tɪl ˈskuːlans | I am going to the school |
| tú skalt senda bræv til mær | tuː skalt ˈsɛndɐ ˈbrɛːv tɪl mɛːr | You should send a letter to me |
| tey flúgva til Føroya | teɪ ˈflʊɡvɐ tɪl ˈføːrʊa | They fly to the Faroe Islands |
| vit koyra til býin | vɪt ˈkɔʊrɐ tɪl ˈbʏːɪn | We drive to the city |
Practice Exercises
Now that you've learned about basic prepositions, it's time to practice! Below are ten exercises designed to help you apply what you’ve learned.
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the sentences with the correct preposition (í, á, við, uttan, fyri, frá, til).
1. Eg eri ___ heiminum.
2. Tú sitji ___ borðinum.
3. Hon kemur ___ vinkonu sinni.
4. Vit skulu ferðast ___ bátinum.
5. Tey keyptu blóm ___ mammuni.
6. Eg kýri ___ arbeiðinum.
7. Tú kanst koma ___ mær.
8. Eg havi bókina ___ taskuni.
9. Vit skulu vera ___ skúlunum í dag.
10. Tey fara ___ Danmark.
Solutions to Exercise 1
1. í
2. á
3. við
4. í
5. fyri
6. til
7. við
8. í
9. í
10. til
Exercise 2: Translate the Sentences
Translate the following English sentences into Faroese using the appropriate prepositions.
1. I am in the school.
2. They are without money.
3. You bought flowers for me.
4. We are going to the city.
5. He is with his friends.
Solutions to Exercise 2
1. Eg eri í skúlans.
2. Tey eru uttan pengar.
3. Tú keypti blóm fyri meg.
4. Vit eru á veg til býin.
5. Hann er við vinum sínum.
Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Preposition
Choose the correct preposition from the options given in parentheses.
1. Eg kom ___ (frá/tal) Danmark.
2. Tú sitji ___ (á/í) stólinum.
3. Vit arbeiða ___ (við/uttan) hjálp.
4. Tey flúgva ___ (til/frá) Føroyar.
5. Eg keypti mat ___ (fyrir/til) okkum.
Solutions to Exercise 3
1. frá
2. á
3. við
4. til
5. fyri
Exercise 4: Create Sentences
Using the prepositions provided, create complete sentences in Faroese.
1. við - (friends)
2. uttan - (money)
3. í - (the house)
4. til - (the school)
5. frá - (the store)
Solutions to Exercise 4
1. Eg eri við vinum mínum.
2. Eg havi ikki pengar uttan mat.
3. Eg eri í húsinum.
4. Tú skalt fara til skúlans.
5. Vit keyptu hesa frá búðini.
Exercise 5: Match the Sentence
Match the Faroese sentences with their English translations.
1. Eg sitji á stólinum.
2. Tey koma frá Føroyum.
3. Tú keyptir blóm fyri tær.
4. Eg eri uttan hjálp.
5. Vit fara til Danmark.
| Faroese Sentence | English Translation |
|------------------|--------------------|
| a. I am without help. | 1. |
| b. They come from the Faroe Islands. | 2. |
| c. You bought flowers for yourself. | 3. |
| d. We are going to Denmark. | 4. |
| e. I am sitting on the chair. | 5. |
Solutions to Exercise 5
1 - e
2 - b
3 - c
4 - a
5 - d
Exercise 6: Sentence Transformation
Transform the following sentences by changing the prepositions as indicated.
1. I am in the house. (change to "on")
2. They are with their parents. (change to "without")
3. We are going to the school. (change to "from")
4. She comes from Denmark. (change to "to")
5. You bought flowers for me. (change to "without")
Solutions to Exercise 6
1. Eg eri á húsinum.
2. Tey eru uttan foreldrum sínum.
3. Vit fara frá skúlans.
4. Hon kemur til Danmark.
5. Tú keypti blóm uttan mær.
Exercise 7: True or False
Read the sentences and determine if they are true or false based on the use of prepositions.
1. Eg eri við stólinum. (True/False)
2. Tey koma til Danmark. (True/False)
3. Tú er í skúla. (True/False)
4. Eg keypti mat frá búðini. (True/False)
5. Vit sitja uttan húsunum. (True/False)
Solutions to Exercise 7
1. False (should be "á")
2. True
3. True
4. True
5. False (should be "í")
Exercise 8: Choose Your Own Adventure
Create a short story (3-5 sentences) using at least 5 different prepositions in Faroese.
Solutions to Exercise 8
(Students will create their own stories; no specific solutions provided.)
Exercise 9: Fill in the Prepositions
Fill in the following sentences with the correct prepositions.
1. Eg fari ___ arbeiðinum.
2. Tú sitji ___ mínum húsi.
3. Tey eru ___ skúlunum.
4. Vit keyptu mat ___ handlinum.
5. Hann er ___ vinum sínum.
Solutions to Exercise 9
1. til
2. í
3. í
4. í
5. við
Exercise 10: Preposition Hunt
Find and underline the prepositions in the following sentences.
1. Eg keypti blóm til mína mamma.
2. Tey sitja uttan hjálp í skúlunum.
3. Vit flúgva frá Føroyum til Danmark.
4. Tú ert við mínum vinum í býnum.
5. Hann kemur til okkum í dag.
Solutions to Exercise 10
1. til
2. uttan, í
3. frá, til
4. við, í
5. til, í
Congratulations on completing the lesson on basic prepositions in Faroese! With these foundational prepositions under your belt, you are one step closer to becoming conversational in Faroese. Keep practicing, and soon you'll be able to express yourself with even greater accuracy and confidence.
Sources
Other Lessons
- Verb To Be
- Questions
- Give your Opinion
- Present Tense
- Past Continuous Tense
- Future Tense
- Question Words
- Negation
- Possessive Pronouns
- How to Use Be
| ◀️ Discussing Interests — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Prepositional Phrases ▶️ |